The Generalized Hodge conjecture for 1-cycles and codimension two algebraic cycles

In this paper, we prove that the statement: ``The (Generalized) Hodge Conjecture holds for codimension-two cycles on a smooth projective variety $X$" is a birationally invariant statement, that is, if the statement is true for $X$, it is also true for all smooth varieties $X'$ which are birationally equivalent to $X$. We also prove the analogous result for 1-cycles. As direct corollaries, the Hodge Conjecture holds for smooth rational projective manifolds with dimension less than or equal to five, and, the Generalized Hodge Conjecture holds for smooth rational projective manifolds with dimension less than or equal to four.